Hey, it's Rachel Cook, your modern mentor. I'm the founder of Lead Above Noise, a firm

specializing in helping teams and organizations craft powerful employee experiences and deliver

leadership development that activates change. And today, I'm really excited to share with you

a conversation that I had recently with leadership and coaching expert

Michael Bungay Stanyer. Michael helps people be a force for change. He's best known for his book

The Coaching Habit, which is sold close to a million copies and has thousands of five-star reviews

online. His last book, The Advice Trap, focuses on what it takes to tame your advice monster.

And now his latest book, How to Work with Almost Anyone, is hitting shelves right about now.

Michael was a Rhodes Scholar, and he plays the ukulele badly. Those are his words, not mine.

So let's hear what Michael had to say.

Well, Michael Bungay-Stanyar, I'm doing my best with that pronunciation.

You nailed it.

I nailed it.

I've really been practicing. You're special.

We were talking about this beforehand, and you're like, you're already in an elite group of people that haven't mispronounced my name because Michael

Bungaestania gets mispronounced more often than not. Well, all right. We've started on a solid

note. I am so excited. You are joining me today on the Modern Mentor podcast. Welcome.

Thank you. I have really been looking forward to this conversation. You know, I know your name from back in the day.

You'll have to keep me honest on years.

But I think you first came into the ether of the world of work and professional success

with a book that you wrote called The Coaching Habit.

Yeah.

...